Sunday, July 31, 2016

I used to be a fan of The Walking Dead TV series. I was totally enthralled
with the first year, but not so much after the second, and even less so after
the third. This had nothing to do with the gore and horror; after all, this is
a zombie-focused survival story, so it comes with the territory. I also liked
the characters and their backstories.

By the fourth season, I found the show increasing difficult to watch as
more key characters were being picked off by zombies and others. Admittedly, it
was interesting to see the change in the main characters as they learned to
live with fear and loss, and sharpen their survival skills.

Clearly, the characters’ purpose was to stay alive, and there were plenty
of internal and external conflicts providing huge obstacles to do so. So, why
did I lose interest? Because I started to wonder what was the point of all this
constant fighting and running away, only to settle somewhere else and have
hopes dashed again?

Periodically, the series provided a glimmer of hope that there were safe
places to go to, that someone competent and sane would be in charge and
offer a safe haven, but efforts to find it inevitably failed, at least during the
seasons I watched.

All of this got me to thinking about other stories, where the stakes are
high, the conflict and tension immense, and the characters intriguing. Why did
those stories work for me while this one didn’t? The answer is that there was
always an end-game, a final success that would end the misery, leaving the hero
triumphant, albeit physically and/or emotionally damaged.

Sure, some will argue that each storyline in The Walking Dead ends in
triumph as Rick and company live to fight another day. But, I still say, why
bother? During the years I watched, there wasn’t a cure on the horizon and
adequate help was nonexistent.

I realize that everyone has their own definition of what a story’s point
is. Why is something being written? What is the reader, or viewer, getting out
of it? Is the satisfaction strong enough to keep watching?

My favorite genre is mysteries and they have been since I was a girl. I
love that the bad guys get caught and that justice is served. For me this is
emotionally satisfying. The story has a point as the protagonist struggles to
find the killer and winds up triumphant.

Regardless of whether you’re writing scripts, novels, or nonfiction, make
sure your stories have a point, or readers might not stick with you.

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Cheryl Kaye Tardif is "already a big hit in Canada...a name to reckon with south of the border." --BOOKLIST.

I'm an international bestselling author of numerous suspense novels: Children of the Fog, Whale Song (and Whale Song: School Edition), Divine Intervention, The River.
On September 27, 2010, my alter-ego Cherish D'Angelo made her debut with Lancelot's Lady. Cherish writes steamy romantic suspense.
I also have a collection called Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories, and a suspenseful novelette, Remote Control.
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~Cheryl